Alexander Idelson

[Alex is a compact little guy, athletically-built but just under 5'5". He's ginger enough to be the butt of every imaginable ginger joke, and the thick red beard only compounds those. He's got one year left before officially entering "late thirties," but aside from some tiredness around the eyes, he doesn't really look it.

He's moderately inked-up, with a tattoo of the symbol on the flag of the Second Continental Light Dragoons on his left forearm, and a half-sleeve with a design of maps and ships and compasses on his right, but he's usually wearing long-sleeved shirts to cover them up for work.]

Alex's life seems like the perfect setup for a heartwarming summer sports movie: recovering alcoholic pulls his life together and learns to have hope again when assigned to coach an underachieving girls' soccer team.

In reality, of course, nothing ever works out quite so neatly. Overworked, recently-divorced history teachers don't always make inspiring protagonists. And the Chesterberg Cougars probably aren't going to be making the playoffs this year. Or any year.

But he tries. One has to find the humor in these things.